Advanced courses increasing locally, statewide

More students are taking advanced classes this year, a trend that will help students prepare better for college, school administrators said.

Matthew AlbrightStaff Writer

More students are taking advanced classes this year, a trend that will help students prepare better for college, school administrators said. Created by the College Board, the same nonprofit organization that administers the SAT and other college-readiness tests, high-school Advanced Placement classes are designed to be as comprehensive — and difficult — as college classes.At the end of an AP class, students can pay to take a high-stakes test. Students who score well often test out of some of the lower-level courses in college, giving them a head start.State education officials have pushed for schools to boost the number of AP classes they offer. To do so, they have given schools bonuses on their school performance scores for students taking the courses. And the state is launching programs to cover the costs of AP tests for low-income students and expanding training programs for teachers.“Just 19 percent of students who enter the ninth grade today earn a college degree within 10 years,” said state Education Superintendent John White. “Expanding access to more Advanced Placement college-prep courses will prepare more students for the rigors of college work, which will ultimately result in more college graduates.”Those efforts seem to be bearing fruit. Last year, enrollment in AP classes grew by more than 17 percent, state statistics show. Over the past five years, enrollment has grown by nearly 70 percent.Schools in Lafourche and Terrebonne parishes have also increased their share of AP classes. Every high school in both parishes has increased the number of AP classes it has offered over the past two years.Graham Douglas, Terrebonne High's principal, said his school has been offering AP U.S. history for three years but expanded the catalog this year to include Chemistry, government and English IV. The school has also signed up some students for an online version of AP psychology.“You want the best challenge to match every student's learning level,” Douglas said. “AP classes offer a more-rigorous environment for students who are looking for more.”Implementing more AP classes doesn't happen overnight. To offer a course, schools must find time and money to send teachers for specialized training at summer AP institutes.That's part of the reason AP classes haven't been common until recently. But Douglas said the courses fit too well with new expectations for the high schools to pass up.“The AP classes match the rigor the new Common Core standards we're putting in place expect,” Douglas said. “We're all pushing for more rigor, more rigor, and these are some of the most-rigorous classes we can offer.”Bubba Orgeron, secondary schools supervisor in Lafourche Parish, said much of the onus for setting up an AP class lies on individual teachers.“There's a lot of work for teachers on the front end,” Orgeron said. “Pretty much all our teachers trained at a four-day course on the curriculum over the summer. They then have to create a syllabus that proves to the College Board that the course is rigorous enough to qualify as AP.”Lafourche schools have also ramped up the number of AP tests this year. Though the district once offered the classes, they fell by the wayside. Thibodaux High reinstated AP last year, and South and Central Lafourche high schools started the courses again this year.Administrators in both parishes said they think the courses are simply a good idea. But the classes will take on new importance this year because the state is changing the calculations used to grade schools' performance.When the state releases the scores next year — and the letter grades that come with those scores — a quarter of a school's score will be based on career and college readiness. As part of that score, schools will get bonus points for every student who earns technical certification or who scores well on an AP test.Still, Douglas and Orgeron said AP tests aren't for every student.“These classes are for students who are really looking for a challenge,” Douglas said. “These are for students who want to push themselves as hard as they can.”Orgeron said the biggest requirement for a prospective AP student is work ethic.“It's fast-paced, and there's a lot of material to cover,” Orgeron said. “There's a lot of outside-of-class assignments, a lot of reading and research before you even walk in the door.”Orgeron said students should talk with their advisers about the possibility of taking an AP course, even if they're worried they might not do well on the test.“Even if you don't make the grade on that final test, if you put the effort in, it's going to be good for you,” Orgeron said. “The class is so rigorous that it would prepare you for college even if you don't pass out of a bunch of classes.”

Staff Writer Matthew Albright can be reached at 448-7635 or at matthew.albright@dailycomet.com.

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